The Resource Center is partially supported by the Jane Pulliam Trust, The Florence and John Schumann Foundation and the John S. & James. L. Knight Foundation.

In the News Archive

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IRE and NICAR has extensive resources for journalists covering a wide range of topics. Below are some resources that have been compiled for past breaking news stories.


Extreme Heat: As an oppressive heat wave extends across the US, IRE and NICAR have compiled resources, including tipsheets, stories, databases and more, for journalists covering related issues.

Severe Weather: Included here are resources to assist in the coverage of storm events, as well as stories and tipsheets about storms and other natural disasters.

 Wildfires: IRE and NICAR offers a number of reporting resources related to covering wildfires. Those resources include databases, tipsheets to help journalists find good resources, previously published or broadcast stories about similar incidents, and Web sites that can aid in research.

Campus Shooting: IRE and NICAR have Web links, data, the latest tipsheets and related stories for journalists covering the shooting at Virginia Tech.

Power Blackout: IRE and NICAR have Web links, data, the latest tipsheets and related stories for journalists covering power blackouts.

 Group Home Fire: A fire in an adult care facility in southwestern Missouri claimed the lives of ten people on November 27th, 2006. In an effort to help you cover this or similar stories, IRE and NICAR have compiled a list of resources for you.

 Bus Accidents: Following the tragic bus accident in Alabama that claimed the life of three teenagers, IRE and NICAR have compiled resources to help you cover the story, or others like it.

 Chemical Fire: The IRE and NICAR database library can help you follow up on industrial accidents and their environmental impact, or keep tabs on the hazardous materials found in your area.

 Aviation: Using FAA databases available from the IRE and NICAR Database Library, a journalist can track maintenance problems of a particular aircraft or types of aircraft, check into each accident or incident involving aircraft; check ownership of an aircraft and the status of most pilots. The Resource Center has stories and tipsheets available for covering aviation issues, as well as a beat book: Covering Aviation Safety and a companion Web site.

 Hurricanes: IRE and NICAR have gathered resources to help cover all kinds of hurricane-related stories. Get data about disaster assistance, small business loans, other storms, bridges and dams. Read stories done after past hurricanes and get tipsheets from reporters who have covered hurricanes and other disasters.

 Katrina Aftermath: IRE and NICAR have gathered a package of resources specifically to help journalists cover the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Resources cover topics including health, toxic and hazardous waste, covering natural disasters (including past hurricanes), infrastructure, fuel issues, environmental issues, charities and mapping. There are relevant databases, stories, tipsheets and books available from IRE and NICAR.

 The latest terrorism threat: trans-Atlantic plot uncovered: IRE offers resources about terrorism, security, infrastructure and more..

 Space Shuttle: As NASA prepares for the launch of the shuttle Discovery, IRE offers many stories in the Resource Center about the Space Shuttle program and NASA that might be of assistance.

 Dam Resources: IRE and NICAR offer the National Inventory of Dams, as well as past stories and tipsheets to help journalists cover this threat and similar ones across the country.

 Workplace Safety — Mining: Data, stories, tipsheets and links to help cover workplace safety, including trapped miners.

 New York Transit Strike: IRE and NICAR offer useful data, as well as past stories and tipsheets to help journalists cover the effects of the strike.

 Jordan Bombings: IRE and NICAR have gathered stories, tipsheets, data and more to help journalists cover the attacks on three U.S.-based hotels in Amman, Jordan.

 Tour Boat Accident: As details emerge about the capsized tour boat in Lake George, N.Y., IRE and NICAR have put together some reporting resources to help journalists cover the accident and why it happened. Those include databases, tipsheets to help journalists find good resources, previously published or broadcast stories about similar incidents, and Web sites that can aid deadline research.

 Vioxx judgment: See stories, tipsheets and data related to covering the pharmaceutical industry and the FDA.

Federal Shield Law: Over the past year, journalists, journalism organizations and media lawyers have endorsed the idea of a federal shield law to protect journalists working with anonymous sources and legislation has been proposed in Congress to create such a law. With the imprisonment of New York Times reporter Judith Miller, the pressure for a shield law has increased. Here is a list of resources IRE has created to help its members keep up with the issue with information on the proposed law, debate and those who support and oppose the idea. IRE has endorsed the idea of such a law, but also expressed some concerns about the direction a law might take.

Resources to cover London bombings: IRE and NICAR have gathered relevant resources, including tipsheets, stories, databases and more to help journalists who are covering the London bombings and related stories.

 Election Resources: IRE and NICAR have numerous resources for covering elections - from the national to local levels. We offer databases, tipsheets, previous stories, training, a campaign finance beat book and much more.

 Mount St. Helens: As the mountain rumbles and lets off some steam, prepare for a potential eruption with some previous stories and data.

 Tanker crash and fire: When a tanker truck was involved in a fatal and fiery accident near Baltimore, IRE and NICAR gathered data, stories, tipsheets and other resources that can help reporters understand the effects of such an accident.

 Calif. earthquake: IRE and NICAR have compiled stories, tipsheets, data and Internet resources to help journalists cover the aftermath of the Dec. 22 earthquake on the central California coast.

 Iraq contracts and your community: The Department of Defense has announced that it will not award Iraq reconstruction contracts to companies in countries that opposed the war. Some of those companies have employees in the United States and do work in this country. IRE and NICAR have put together resources to help journalists cover government contracts and what this means to their communities.

 Bridge safety resources: Following the fatal collapse of a bridge under construction in Napa, Calif., IRE and NICAR have compiled data, stories, tipsheets and other resources to help journalists look at the risks of bridges and worker safety in their own areas.

 Building collapse resources: In the wake of the fatal collapse of a parking garage in Atlantic City, N.J., IRE and NICAR compiled data, Internet resources and stories about building collapses.

 Ferry accident resources: IRE and NICAR gathered reporting resources related to a fatal Staten Island ferry accident. Those include databases, tipsheets to help journalists find good resources, previously published or broadcast stories about similar incidents, and Web sites that can aid in research.

 America's infrastructure: A group of civil engineers is giving a bad grade to America's infrastructure, including roads, bridges, drinking water and energy. IRE and NICAR offer resources, including government databases, previously published or broadcast stories on the topic, tipsheets, books and Web pages filled with links, to assist journalists in covering the deterioration of the U.S. infrastructure.

 War Resources: IRE has compiled data, the latest tipsheets, related stories and links for journalists covering the conflict in Iraq.

 Terrorism Resources: Newsrooms everywhere are focused on the fallout from the Sept. 11 attacks. Resources are available on terrorism, aviation safety, security, infrastructure and more.

 Vehicle Safety Resources: As the safety of sport utility vehicles are debated, IRE offers databases, stories and tipsheets to help journalists steer their stories.

 Club Safety Resources: With nightclub fires and stampedes in the news, IRE has collected some relevant stories and data.

 Consumer Safety: Data from the Consumer Product and Safety Commission is available from IRE and NICAR Database Library's collection. Get tipsheets and stories from the Resource Center. For each new season, hazards return: lawn mowers in the spring, swimming pools in the summer, leaf-blowers in the fall. The database helps a journalist to get a handle on such hazards and more, plus giving narrative examples. The database can offer depth to many stories and might even help alert the public to a potentially dangerous product.

 Disaster Loans: U.S. Small Business Administration's disaster loan program database is available through IRE and NICAR's Database Library, along with tipsheets and stories from the Resource Center.

 Federal Contracts: The federal contracts database shows services performed or items produced under contract with the federal government in all U.S. states, as well as U.S. territories and other countries. Such contracts were worth more than $218 billion in FY 2001. A journalist can find companies with a history of large contracts with agencies, including the U.S. military, showing where and what type of work is being performed and the amount of the contract.

 Immigration: IRE and NICAR Database Library offers a database of immigrants admitted to the U.S. as permanent legal residents. The database, maintained by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, contains characteristics of the aliens who were granted legal permanent residence in the U.S. during fiscal years 2000 and 1999. Get stories and tipsheets from the Resource Center to help cover immigration issues.

 Workplace safety : Workplace safety has been written about time and again. A prime source of information is the OSHA workplace safety database, available from the IRE and NICAR Database Library. It contains a variety of workplace inspection and accident information, including hazardous substance accidents as well as violations for federally inspected companies in the U.S. and its territories.